Consciously inducing the mental state where dreams occur

[The Backward OX]

I’d like to find out whether it’s possible to consciously induce the mental state where dreams occur – by dreams I mean all those silly pictures that appear in your mind as you are drifting off to sleep, and all the tangled images that occur in REM sleep as you’re awaking – can that mental state be deliberately induced? How?

[Ilya]

There is a quick answer, the tongue-in-the-cheek answer and a long answer to your question.
The quick answer is yes, you can do it.
The tongue-in-the-cheek answer is - you already know how to do it and you use this skill most of the time you go to bed. I guess it takes at least some sort of decision making. The reason, I'm giving you this answer is not to mock you, but to bring your attention to the fact that you already have more control over your dream states than you probably expect.
The long answer really depends on what exactly you want to improve in your inborn ability to access this state?
Do you want to enter dream state faster? It is also possible.
The usual description is that we see dreams in the REM stage and therefore we need to spend about an hour asleep before we see a dream. I'm not sure about the details, but my personal experience is different. I'm sure a can see dreams just minutes and even seconds after I close my eyes on a pillow. And it is unlikely that I experience time distortion. I often recall dreams from very brief naps and can verify the time objectively.

The key question here is "how do you know you see a dream?" When you remember your dreams, what makes you think that it was actually a dream and not the "real" events in your life. Unfortunately, you have to answer that question yourself. The answer is different for every person and depends on the unique neurology of each person. There may be similar qualities of the dreams that many people share. These are the qualities that film makers use to show "dreams" in the movies.
So again - what qualities of the picture, of the sounds and feelings that accompany these pictures allow you to say, that it was a dream.
For example, I see very vivid dreams. They have natural color lots of details and seem pretty logical (at least before I wake up).
Still, the overall picture is blurred, especially at the borders of my field of view. The dream is literally shown in front of my eyes - I can't remember what's behind my back. My mind just doesn't hallucinate that part.
The sounds in my dreams are distorted. Even if the other people in my dream are speaking, I can't really remember their voice. Most likely I'm "dubbing" them with my own internal voice. Also there are little environmental sounds - no wind blowing, no water flowing. Just some ambient buzz.
And I don't have many feelings in my dreams - no pain, no cold, I don't feel the objects I touch, no smell, no taste. Just general warmth around me.
I do feel emotions though - fear, joy, worry, interest.

Again, this is an example - your dream qualities can be completely different.
The good way to remember all this is to write your dream journal. Especially, if you can write without opening your eyes just after you wake up. It will improve your dream recall and also will let you explore these "dream qualities".

When you find out what makes your dreams different from the reality - try to remember these things when you go to bed. Usually we do see some imaginary pictures even if we are not asleep. Just try to adjust their qualities to match the qualities of your dreams. And with some practice you may find that you can slip right from your waking state into a dream.